HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Coker College baseball team hit another national ranking today, entering the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll at No. 30. The Cobras are tied with California State University Chico, St. Thomas Aquinas College and Angelo State University.
Along with the CBN poll, Coker moved up a spot to No. 5 in the NCAA Southeast regional poll. It is also ranked No. 16 in the College Baseball Lineup poll.
The Cobras (34-14) won the Conference Carolinas title on April 29, securing a bid to their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance. They await the final rankings of the season, which come out this Sunday, to determine a time, place and opponent for the regional tournament that begins May 16.
Heading into the NCAA tournament, the Cobras are hitting .311 as a team and average just under seven-runs-per-game. They've scored 323 runs and stole 122 bases. The pitching staff owns a 4.38 ERA and it has held opponents to a .270 average.
On offense, the Cobras have been paced by junior first baseman Fico Kondla, who led the conference in batting with a .409 average. He also has three homers, is tied for the team lead in RBIs with 42, scored 37 runs and has a team-leading 23 steals. Junior third baseman T.J. Giczkowski has been on fire of late, hitting over .600 in the conference tournament. On the season he has a .368 average with four triples, 51 runs and 27 RBIs.
The pitching staff continues to be a strong force as well. Seniors Tyler Witzel (7-5, 5.37 ERA) and Dan Meyer (6-3, 3.99) have handled the starting duties, while juniors Andrew Goot (8-0, 4.33) and Zach Loraine (4-2, 2.63, 14 saves) lead a strong bullpen.
For more information, contact Chris Dougherty, manager of athletics media relations and marketing, at 843-383-8018 or cdougherty@coker.edu.
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Coker College readies undergraduates for personal and professional success through a distinctive four-year program that emphasizes a practical application of the liberal arts as well as hands-on and discussion-based learning within and beyond the classroom. Coker is ranked among the "Best Colleges" in the South by U.S. News & World Report as well as The Princeton Review. Located in Hartsville, S.C., Coker is within two hours of the cultural, financial and recreational resources of Charlotte, Columbia, Charleston and Myrtle Beach.